"First, you
sound like my grandfather. Second, I think it's absolutely adorable that you believe
you can boss me around." Forget about feeling sorry for anyone who dared
challege him. He needed challenging!

Il libro è attualmente inedito in
Italia.

Synopsis: She won’t rest until
she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life
would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed.
From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took.
One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved
was gone.Her father was right. The monsters are real….To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight
the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys,
Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those
secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

Halloween
is just about to come and, even if it is not celebrated in my country, the
books I am currently reading kind of reflect this atmosphere. My last one was Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter. I
am not a big fan of zombie novels (except for Jonathan Maberry's books which I
adore), but I was completely won over by this brand-new Zombieslayer! I thought
it was another retelling of Alice's story but it turned out to be an original
story that has nothing to do with Carrol's novel.

In short,
the story deals with Alice, who lost her family in a terrible car crash and
suddendly thinks she can see 'monsters' as her crazy dad used to claim. But it
seems she is not the only one who can see those creatures and she will soon
catch the attention of school's bad boy Cole Holland, and dangerous and rebel
boy, leader of a band, and she will share some weird visions with him. Alice's
world will be turned upside-down and she will find out that zombies are real.
And they want her.

If you are
familiar with my previous reviews on another site, you will probably know that
I have the tendency to highly dislike heroines who fall in love at first sight,
are always whining and act like idiots (sorry, but there are just too many
girls like this in YA books). However, Alice Bell is AWESOME! Ironic, determined,
kick-ass and ready to do her best to avenge her family. And don't make me say
anything on supersexy-superirritating and authoritative Cole Holland. Stubborn,
strong, wickedly sarcastic and very, very much swoony. I also loved his band of
friends and all the other characters, especially Kat, Alice's bestfriend, who
has the best lines!

The story
is written my Alice's POV and I was captured by her narration right away:
clear, direct, fresh, full of witty lines and interesting thoughts. I had read
some of Gina's novels, but I did not enjoy them as much as this one. There are
a few minor flaws; for example, I am not a big fan of insta-love and Alice and
Cole seem to have one. But I admit, I loved their relationship.

Anyway, I
can't wait to read the next book! I need it! More zombie! Bring them on!

My
favourite quote:

"First, you
sound like my grandfather. Second, I think it's absolutely adorable that you believe
you can boss me around." Forget about feeling sorry for anyone who dared
challege him. He needed challenging!

Here the weather is just plain awful and there is no light at my house! Maybe it's a sign and the Zombapocalypse is coming, just in time for Halloween. I'll be sure to fight the zombies using all the weapons I have (meaning books. I hope that zombies will die when I throw all the seven books of In search of the lost time by Proust. I sure was about to die when I read them).

Why am I in such a zombie mood? Well, must be the book I am currently reading, Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, which I'll be reviewing soon.

In the meantime, I've been pretty busy over at SognandoLeggendo. I reviewed the absolutely FREAKING AWESOME The Diviners by Libba Bray (HERE), which is a unique reading. I loved it! I also read A discovery of witches (HERE), but I wasn't really convinced. I was totally surprised by Croak by Gina Damico (HERE), such a lovely and weird book! So ironic! And I also interviewed an Italian writer, Daniela Sacerdoti, who is published in the UK but not in Italy (HERE).

GUYS! The best news of the week is this: Jennifer L. Armentrout and her freaking awesome Lux Series will be published in Italy by Giunti Y. I read, loved and adored this series and I guess that many of you have fell in love with Obsidian, Onyx and Shadows like I did.

This series is just awesome! Do you think I am too obsessed with it? YOU ARE RIGHT! If you have read it, you will surely understand me, and if you still haven't read it (bad reader! Go read it), here is why you shoud do it:

1) Daemon Black. You don't know what I am talking about? Oh, you're so missing out. You'll love to meet him (and if you don't, I'll take care of him).

2) A gripping story with unforgettable characters!

3) Aliens! Sexy! Kick-ass girl!

I am so happy Italian readers will get to read this series! And, if you're curious about Daemon Black, here is something you should know about him:

“She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.”She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.

Synopsis: Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Under the Never Sky was one of those books which at
first had me puzzled but I ended up liking it. Liking it A LOT. A fan of
dystopic books could not pass such chance. The world of Veronica Rossi is
divided into two: on one hand we have the perfect and virtual world where Aria
lives, on the other we have the wild and cruel world where life is a
neverending struggle and a fight with the uncontrolled elements of a crazy
nature. And they all live under the Never Sky, where Aether storms hit and
kill.

After breaking
some important rules, Aria is thrown out of her perfect world and finds herself
alone in a desert and feels she will soon die. To save her, here come Perry, a
hunter who has a gift; in fact he can smell everything, even feelings. The two
of them belong to completely different worlds and find it hard to get along, to
the point that they don't even talk to each other. But they learn a lot over
time and will change their minds, while the mysteries of their worlds will keep
growing.

I cannot
say it was love at first sight, but I grew to love this book very slowly, but
when it ended my first thought was 'Nooooo, give me more right NOW!' I slowly
fell in love with the two main characters; Aria, with her stubbornness and her strength,
the fact that she knows she will do it and her willingness to change (and the
fact that, in order not to have Perry says 'told you so' she made her feet
bleed. Strong girl, I like you!); and Perry, not a social person but deeply
loyal to the ones he loves. And there is no instant-love, which I hate, but a
relationship that slowly builds and is totally believable.

What can I
say about the world building of Under the
Never Sky? Fascinating, creepy, and utterly beautiful… nature versus
techonology, the security of a world where everything is planned against the
risks of nature. I was hooked. The story is told from the alternating POV of
Aria and Perry and I loved their different interpretations of the same event. I
really liked it.

Yes, I
liked it! Now go read it and give me Through
the Ever Night, because Aria, Perry and I have things to do after THAT
ending!

My favourite quote:

“She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.”She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.

This is
going to be a slightly different post, where books will not be the main focus. Two
absolutely great bloggers, Amy atLadysbookstuffand Jodie at Uniquely Moi, organized the most awesome
event to help spreading awareness on bullying. These two inspiring ladies,
together with other bloggers and authors, have a series of moving posts on the
topic and there are lot of giveaways, too.

When Amy
first asked me to participate, I was a little bit concerned. I had experienced
bullying and this topic is very important for me, but I wasn't very comfortable
sharing my experience, even if many years have passed. But that was the goal of
this initiative, sharing and talking about it. So you can find my post HERE (thank you Jodie!).

Please,
have a look at all the posts and read all the great interviews and moving
experiences authors and bloggers share. You can also participate in tons of
giveaways. You can also participate in my giveaway: I chose to give a wonderful
anthology, DEAR BULLY (you can find all the info at the end of my post). I
kindly ask you to follow Jodie's and Amy's blogs and mine, too, if you don't
mind. It is not a requirement, but it would be appreciated. These girls made
such a great effort to host this event!

This campaign
aims at increasing awareness on such an important issue, too often dismissed as
'not important'. It is important and it can have lethal consequences. Every year
there are too many victims. We should do something about it.

What are
your thoughts on bullying? Have you ever read a book about it? My favourite is THIRTEEN REASON WHY by Jay Asher, a shocking, moving and absolutely beautiful book.

Synopsis: What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

It has
finally released here in Italy the fifth installment of The Mortal Instrument, City of Lost Souls. If you know me, you
are probably familiar with my not-so-hidden love for Cassandra Clare and I'll
surely read everything she writes, even her shopping list. I fell madly in love
with Jace and Clary in her first trilogy and even more in love with Tess, Will
and Jem in her steampunk prequel which won me over. So you can very well
imagine my joy (and downright terror) when I got my hands on her latest
release.

City of Lost Souls has Jace and Clary and all the Shadowhunters
dealing with problems which are getting bigger and more dangerous by the
minute. There's Sebastian. Clary's older and evil brother, and he's deeply
connected to Jace. YES, he is and I HATED him for that. Action takes place all
over the world, with Clary that, worried about Jace, decides to follow him even
if she has to put up with Sebastian. She soon discovers that Jace is hiding
something weird and that he's not the same guy she fell in love with. And
bad things happen. Really bad things. In the meantime, things get complicated for Alec, Isabelle and Simon,
both with their personal lives and with the Clave. I don’t want to spoil the
book, because if I say more I'm going to write down some huge spoilers, just
know that sometimes I felt like hugging the book and some others I just want to
throw it to the wall. There's a lot of desperation, loss, sadness in the book
and what I really found hard to understand what was Sebastian is really up to.
Plenty of suspense.

I'd love to
say that I loved this book as much as the others, but I really can't. Don't get
me wrong, I loved it, Cassie's writing style is perfect as ever and I've
laughed and cried and got angry and surprised a lot. I was shocked and relieved
as the events unfurled but… still something was missing. Jace was not the
sarcastic guy with a soft spot I was hoping for, he's under Sebastian's
influence and it shows. And no, I won't say a word on Sebastian because I HATE
him (also, kudos to Cassie, Sebastian has me wondering every time what he's up
to. Takes a lot to write such a complex character). Clary has become even more
independent and even if I don't approve some of her choices, I love her a lot. And
I love what she does for Jace. I
am not usually a very romantic person, but I do hope that she and Jace get
their happy endings! Alec and Magnus… what can I say about them? I
absolutely adore this couple! So,
so cute and so real, let's hope we'll see more of then in the next book. I also
changed my mind about Simon, especially when he's with Isabelle. The change of
POVs helps us getting into his minds and this time I really appreciated this
vampire. However I still don't like Maya, really don't like her, but don't ask
me why.

I can't
actually say that the book disappointed me, but probably it's the first of
Cassie's books which I didn't rate 5 stars. I'm much more into The Infernal
Devices series right now. The Mortal Instruments had its perfect ending in City of Glass, even though the turn of
the events in the following books is interesting. And Cassie Clare still rocks
my world!

There were two choices in life. Survive or succumb. And most people weren't even conscious of the path they chose. Because they chose for all the wrong reasons. Love, principles, dreams, desire. The world hadn't changed. It had always been survival of the fittest.

Il libro è attualmente inedito in
Italia.

Synopsis: In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society, and as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper’s abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe.I think
this is the month of dystopic readings! Yes, I read another one, and this time
I'm talking about Glimpse by Claire
Merle. Set in the near future (just around 2040), Glimpse society is divided
into two categories, Pures and Crazies. People are classified according to a
DNA test, which discover some genes called BIG3, the genes responsible for schizophrenia,
depression and anxiety. The Crazies live on the streets or on 'loony bins' and
they cannot mix with Pures.

Ana is the
daughter of the inventor of the Pure test but she is also the only person whose
test was faulty. Defined as 'sleeper', Ana can still live in the Pure society
until her illness doesn't activate. She is also bound to Jasper, son of the
head of a pharmaceutical company which provides medications for the Crazies. Jasper
is kidnapped and Ana decides to go look for him in the Crazy society. However,
she soon finds out her father has lied about many things and she also meets
subversive and handsome Cole, a guy who helps her. In a crescendo of lies, trip
to loony bins and paranormal elements, Ana cannot take anything for granted and
we are left alone with an ending full of questions.

Even though
I did find Glimpse a little bit
confused, the basic idea is very interesting. I know it has received some
negative reviews for the fact that 'crazy' people are considered different, but
I do believe dystopic settings have to be controversial and, well, unsettling. I
have found the 'glimpes', flashes about the future, pretty illogical, though. I
think there was no need to add this paranormal element, which is not explained
that well.

Characters are
interesting, but I found the protagonist, Ana, very contradictory. She stars
off as shy and super controlled, pampered by luxury, then she runs away and
joins the crazies, acts like an heroine and then back again to her old life.
And I really didn't like the instant love with Cole. Cole is intriguing, but
why he's attracted to Ana is a mystery to me. Jasper does not appear that much,
so my opinion about him is still unclear, whereas the authoritative and
heartless father was really terrible.

The book was
well-written and there's a lot of potential, so I do hope it'll get better
soon. I just think there are too many things, too many ideas put together and
maybe it was better to focus just on one. My final thoughts will be given after
reading The Fall (2013).

My
favourite quote:

There were two choices in life. Survive or succumb. And most people weren't even conscious of the path they chose. Because they chose for all the wrong reasons. Love, principles, dreams, desire. The world hadn't changed. It had always been survival of the fittest.

Identikit

I'm affected by an illness which makes me read and read and read. I started loving books when I was a little child and never stopped. Thrillers, young adult, contemporary fiction, classic novels, fantasy, chick-it...BRING IT ON!